Curtailing of Myths and Misconceptions Regarding Oral Health among Indian Adult Population through Health Education and Promotion -Cross Sectional Survey

Summary Background/Aim: Myths related to oral diseases and oral health-related practices are very common among the population. Inadequate knowledge along with the persisting myths regarding the etiology, course and outcome of oral diseases makes it difficult to initiate health behavioural changes. Present study scrutinizes various myths and misconceptions regarding oral health among the outpatients. The aim of this study was to assess myths and misconceptions about oral health and imparting education regarding the same. Material and Methods: The calculated sample size was 200. A pre –tested closed ended questionnaire was prepared in both English and local language (Kannada). It comprised of four sections with 24 questions. The Content validity index value of 0.9 suggested a good validity. A Chi square test was applied and significance level was fixed at p< 0.05. Results: We had 100% response rate. In our study half of the participants visited dental hospital for the very first time (57.5%). About 45.2% of subjects believed 3rd molar eruption is the sign of intelligence, while 64.8% had a notion that all dental procedures are painful. Conclusions: Myths and misconceptions related to oral health are still prevalent among the population. However, small steps like compulsory education about oral health in the school curriculum, available and affordable oral care also effective use of mass media could be the steps to reduce oral health burden to the society.

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Perceived Oral Health Literacy, Behaviors, and Oral Health Care among Caregivers to the Homebound Population

Home Health Care Management & Practice ◽

10.1177/10848223211008435 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 108482232110084

Author(s):

Agata Wilk ◽

Lisa LaSpina ◽

Linda D. Boyd ◽

Jared Vineyard

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Oral Health ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Oral Care ◽

Oral Health Care ◽

The Body ◽

Current Evidence ◽

Oral Health Literacy ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional

This study aimed to explore the level of perceived oral health literacy (OHL) among caregivers of the homebound population in the Chicago metropolitan area and how caregivers’ OHL impacts their oral care to the homebound population. The relationships between demographic characteristics, perceived OHL levels, personal oral health behaviors, and oral health care to clients were also assessed. This cross-sectional survey research examined 69 caregivers of the homebound population employed by home health agencies. The OHL was determined by the validated Health Literacy in Dentistry Scale (HeLD-14). Independent t-tests, chi-square tests set at p < .05 significance level, and logistic regressions were used for analysis. The mean age of participants was 43. The HeLD-14 scores indicated a high perceived OHL among this group. Caregivers came from diverse groups, and the majority spoke a second language at home. About 93% performed oral self-care the recommended amount of time or more, while only 57% did it for their clients. Those who cleaned clients’ mouth twice a day had a higher OHL score ( M = 23 compared to M = 19). About 43% did not check for sores in the client’s mouth, and those who checked had a higher OHL score ( M = 25 compared to M = 19). Controlling for OHL, age was a good predictor of oral care frequency to clients. These findings provide current evidence and add to the body of knowledge on OHL among homebound individuals. The results provide insights for designing a preventive approach in oral health care to the homebound population.

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Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviors of Women Related to Pregnancy, and Early Childhood Caries Prevention: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

Journal of Primary Care & Community Health ◽

10.1177/21501327211013302 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

pp. 215013272110133

Author(s):

Neel Shimpi ◽

Ingrid Glurich ◽

Catherine Maybury ◽

Min Qi Wang ◽

Kazumasa Hashimoto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oral Health ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Health Education ◽

Survey Study ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Health Maintenance ◽

Significance Level ◽

Study Results ◽

And Behaviors

Objective Health education interventions during pregnancy can influence maternal oral health (OH), maternal OH-behaviors and children’s OH. Interventions that can be delivered at anytime and anywhere, for example mobile-health (mHealth) provides an opportunity to address challenges of health education and support activation of women in underserved and rural communities to modify their health behavior. This pilot study was undertaken as a part of a mHealth initiative to determine knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to pregnancy and ECC prevention among women attending obstetrics/gynecology (OB/GYN) practices at a large rurally-based clinic. Methods A cross-sectional survey study was voluntarily engaged by women (n = 191) aged 18 to 59 years attending OB/GYN visits, over a 3-week period from 12/2019 to 1/2020. Survey results were analyzed applying descriptive statistics, X2 and Fisher’s Exact tests. The significance level was set at P < .0001 for all analyses. Results Approximately half of respondents were between 18 and 29 years (53%), had a college degree (55%), and 100% reported cell phone use. Whereas 53% and 31%, respectively, indicated that they were “somewhat” or “very” sure of how to prevent ECC in their children, only 9% recognized evidence of early decay and 30% did not know the purpose of fluoride. Overall, only 27% of participants correctly answered the knowledge-based questions. Further, only 57% reported their provider explained things in a way that was easy to understand. Only 24% reported seeing a dentist during their current pregnancy. Conclusions Study results suggested potential gaps in knowledge and behaviors related to ECC prevention and provided baseline data to inform future interventions to improve ECC prevention practices. Notably, majority of participants used their cell phones for making medical/dental appointments and reported using their phones to look up health-related information. This demographic represents a potentially receptive target for mHealth approaches to improve understanding of oral health maintenance during pregnancy and ECC prevention.

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Knowledge and ability to manage medical emergencies among dental students

Journal of Oral Medicine Oral Surgery Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology ◽

10.18231/j.ijooo.2021.050 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 161-166

Author(s):

Chitturi Prashanthi ◽

Prashant B Patil ◽

Vajendra Joshi ◽

Kiran Kumar K R ◽

Shilpa R T

Keyword(s):

Life Support ◽

Dental Students ◽

Medical Emergency ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Chi Square ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significance Level ◽

Chi Square Test ◽

Medical Emergencies ◽

The Difference

: An emergency can be encountered anytime and anywhere. Minimal knowledge about medical emergency and their etiology, primary protocol for management must be known to avoid potential consequences. Hence, the present study was undertaken to compare the knowledge, and ability to handle the medical emergencies among the dental students. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 100 randomly selected dental students (post-graduate students and interns) comprising of two groups of students those who had underwent training and those who did not. The data obtained was analyzed using the SPSS for windows version 22.0 released 2013. Independent chi square test was used for comparison of responses and independent student t-test was used for the comparison of mean scores. The significance level was set at p<0.001. : The average mean knowledge and ability score was 68% & 61.4% respectively among the participants. On further comparison of mean knowledge & ability scores between the participants with & without basic life support training, participants with BLS training showed better knowledge than those without training and the difference was statistically significant between the two groups (p<0.001%). The study found deficiencies in the knowledge and ability of untrained graduates to deal with medical emergencies as compared to trained.

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Questionnaire based assessment of awareness about infection control practices regarding COVID-19 among health care workers

International Journal of Advances in Medicine ◽

10.18203/2349-3933.ijam20212360 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Abhijeet K. Mane ◽

Anuradha G. Tolpadi ◽

Meera S. Modak ◽

Ashok K. Verma ◽

Ancy C. Achenkunju ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Infection Control ◽

Educational Interventions ◽

Basic Knowledge ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Chi Square ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significance Level ◽

Chi Square Test ◽

Ancillary Staff ◽

Study Participants

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at frontline of response of the current pandemic of the COVID-19. This exposes them to risk of infection due to insufficient knowledge and unhealthy practices. The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge of infection control practices among HCWs regarding COVID-19.Methods: A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted between April 2020 and June 2020. A 21-questions survey was developed and distributed among study population. A total of 622 HCWs working in a dedicated COVID-19 hospital participated in this study. Descriptive statistics was applied to represent participant characteristics and Chi-square test was used to evaluate the level of association among variables with a significance level of <0.05.Results: Out of 622 participants, 443 (71.22%) were females and 179 (28.78%) were males. Majority of the participants were nurses 308 (49.5%) followed by resident doctors 152 (24.4%), faculty doctors 108 (17.3%) and ancillary staff 54 (8.6%). Most participants 424 (68.1%) were less than 30 years of age. The overall response to survey was satisfactory with average correct responses recorded at 70.9%. Faculty doctors and resident doctors scored maximum average of 73% marks.Conclusions: The study participants showed sufficient basic knowledge about infection control practices regarding COVID-19. It also highlights the importance of continued training and educational interventions which are required to battle the present pandemic situation.

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Awareness on Nanoparticles Incorporation in Dental Materials among Undergraduate Students - A Cross Sectional Survey

Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International ◽

10.9734/jpri/2020/v32i1630650 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 63-74

Author(s):

Aarthi Muthukumar ◽

Revathi Duraisamy ◽

Dhanraj Ganapathy

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Students ◽

Dental Materials ◽

Simple Random Sampling ◽

Dental Students ◽

Titanium Implants ◽

P Value ◽

Oral Diseases ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Chi Square ◽

Cross Sectional

Nanotechnology is widely used in day to day life including its use in medicine. Using nanotechnology it is easy to analyse the atoms , chemical bonds and molecules present between various compounds. Use of nanoparticles in the field of dentistry is called nano dentistry. Chemical, physical and biological aspects of nanoparticles should be taken into account while choosing nanoparticles for the use in the field of nano dentistry. Nanoparticles are used in innovations of dentistry. Nano materials can be used for preventing and curing oral diseases such as oral cancer and to maintain oral health care. This study aims at evaluating knowledge and awareness of nanoparticles incorporated in dental materials among undergraduate dental students. A questionnaire with a set of 9 questions to assess the students knowledge and awareness about nanoparticles incorporation in dental materials. The sample size of 99 participants of dental students of Saveetha Dental College were selected by a simple random sampling method. The participants were asked to fill the questionnaire in an online site called survey planet. The results were collected and statistically analysed. Chi square test was done and it was found that 71% of the participants were aware about the use of nanoparticles in dental materials, even though it is statistically not significant (p value- 0.436), 73% of respondents were aware about nanoparticle incorporation in impression materials with p value 0.449 (not significant) and 72% were aware about use of nanomaterials in titanium implants(p value-0.340). Within the limitations of the study, it can be observed that the undergraduate students at the Faculty of Dentistry of Saveetha were well aware about the use of nanoparticles in dental materials.

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Nature of Crime, Duration of Stay, Parafunctional Habits and Periodontal Status in Prisoners

Journal of Oral Health and Community Dentistry ◽

10.5005/johcd-6-3-131 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 131-134 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Priyanka Singh ◽

Sabyasachi Saha ◽

Sanjay Kumar Singh ◽

G.V. Jagannath

Keyword(s):

General Health ◽

Oral Care ◽

Hard Core ◽

Health It ◽

Oral Diseases ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Duration Of Stay ◽

The Mean ◽

Age Range

ABSTRACT Objectives Oral health is an integral part of general health. It has long been recognized that preventive oral care is important in the prevention of oral diseases, which also has significant impact on general health. Methods This is a cross sectional survey, with a sample size of 1011 (826 males and 185 females) prisoners. Results Inmates belong to the age range of 18-80 years, with the mean age of 37.3±11.8 years. Overall about (25%) inmates had Para functional habits. Most common Para functional habit (22.6%) was bruxism‥ In hard core criminals Para functional habits (bruxism) was (18.1%) significantly higher (p<0.001) than in pity offenders (4.5%). Conclusion It can be concluded that nature of crime and duration of stay in prison was significantly associated with the development of parafunctional habits and also with worsened periodontal condition.

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Depression, periodontitis, caries and missing teeth in the USA, NHANES 2009–2014

Family Medicine and Community Health ◽

10.1136/fmch-2020-000583 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. e000583

Author(s):

Muath Aldosari ◽

Mohammad Helmi ◽

Erinne N Kennedy ◽

Riddhi Badamia ◽

Satomi Odani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Oral Health ◽

Dental Caries ◽

Periodontal Diseases ◽

Health Providers ◽

Oral Diseases ◽

Missing Teeth ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Untreated Dental Caries

PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the association between self-reported depressive symptoms and oral diseases in US adults, including periodontitis, caries, missing teeth and untreated dental caries.DesignThis study was designed as a secondary data analysis of a cross-sectional survey. We conducted descriptive, multivariable logistic and Poisson regression analyses on weighted data.SettingUS National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009–2014 data.ParticipantsIndividuals aged ≥30 years who completed a periodontal examination and depression screening (n=9799).Results21.6% (28.9 million) of adults aged ≥30 years reported depressive symptoms, with a higher prevalence among females, current smokers and participants with lower income and education status. More than half of the adults with moderate depressive symptoms had periodontal diseases, and more than one-third had teeth with untreated dental caries. After adjusting for sociodemographics, behavioural factors, having diabetes and psychotherapeutic medication use, depressive symptoms were associated with poorer oral health. Severe depressive symptoms were associated with higher odds of mild periodontitis (2.20; 99% CI 1.03 to 4.66). For those with mild depressive symptoms, the mean number of missing teeth was 1.20 (99% CI 1.06 to 1.37) times the average of non-symptomatic individuals; and 1.38 times (99% CI 1.15 to 1.66) among individuals with moderate depressive symptoms.ConclusionsDepressive symptoms were associated with mild periodontitis and a greater number of missing teeth, while having teeth with untreated dental caries was attributed to sociodemographic factors. Awareness of oral health status among patients with depressive symptoms can inform both dental and mental health providers to develop tailored treatment and help patients achieve overall wellness.

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Pregnancy, oral health and dental education: an overview on the northeast of Italy

Journal of Perinatal Medicine ◽

10.1515/jpm-2020-0032 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 48 (8) ◽

pp. 829-835

Author(s):

Fulvia Costantinides ◽

Erica Vettori ◽

Martina Conte ◽

Ingrid Tonni ◽

Vanessa Nicolin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oral Health ◽

Oral Care ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Chi Square ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Full Sample ◽

Anova Test ◽

Chi Square Test ◽

Level Of Knowledge ◽

Baseline Demographic

AbstractObjectivesTo evaluate the level of knowledge of pregnant women and puerpers about oral health and prevention during and after gestation.MethodsOne hundred women aged 18–49 years (mean age 33±6 years) were included in this cross-sectional study. An anonymous questionnaire with 24 items related to oral health has been administered during or just after pregnancy. Firstly, answers have been analyzed on the full population and then subdividing the sample on the base of age ranges (G1: 18–25 years, G2: 26–35 years and G3: >35 years) and number of pregnancies (FP: first pregnancy; SP: second or more pregnancies). Parametric tests have been chosen for the statistical analysis; in particular, Anova test for independent samples was used to evaluate differences of baseline demographic characteristics among subgroups G1, G2, G3 while chi-square test was used for FP and SP subgroups. Anova test was also used to intercept differences on answers given to the questionnaire among G1, G2 and G3 group; for FP and SP group was used t-test.ResultsLevel of information and knowledge of the full sample was medium-low and no significant differences have been observed between groups regarding awareness of the own level of the oral hygiene and knowledge of oral care.ConclusionsResults of this survey underline the high necessity of educational programs regarding oral care in pregnant and puerpers women. A strict collaboration between medical figures (dentist, oral hygienist, gynecologist and obstetric) is strongly encouraged to spread the concept of prevention.

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Awareness and Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccines among Pharmacy Students in Zambia: The Implications for Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy

10.21203/rs.3.rs-651501/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Steward Mudenda ◽

Moses Mukosha ◽

Johanna Catharina Meyer ◽

Joseph Fadare ◽

Brian Godman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Statistical Tests ◽

Pharmacy Students ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Chi Square ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significance Level ◽

Exact Test ◽

Health Authorities ◽

Chi Square Test

Abstract Background: Several vaccines have been developed and administered since coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic in March 2020. In April 2021, the authorities in Zambia administered the first doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca® COVID-19 vaccine. However, little is known about the awareness and acceptability of the vaccines among the Zambian population. This study was undertaken to address this starting with undergraduate pharmacy students in Zambia. Materials and methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 326 undergraduate pharmacy students in Zambia using an online semi-structured questionnaire from 12th to 25th April 2021 and analysed using Stata version 16. Test of associations were undertaken using Pearson chi-square test or Fisher's exact test as appropriate. The multivariable logistic regression was used to investigate the determinants of awareness and acceptability. All statistical tests were performed at a 5% significance level and 95% confidence level. Results: Among 326 participants, 98.8% were aware of the COVID-19 vaccination programme but only 24.5% would accept the vaccine should it be made available to them. Awareness of the COVID-19 vaccine was influenced by religious beliefs (aOR=0.01, 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.20, p=0.004). Being male (aOR=1.78, 95% CI: 1.05 to 3.02, p=0.034) and single (aOR=2.61, 95% CI: 1.04 to 6.55, p=0.041) was associated with higher odds of accepting the vaccine. Being unemployed (aOR=0.31, 95% CI: 0.15 to 0.66, p=0.002) was associated with lower odds of vaccine acceptancy. Barriers to acceptance of the vaccine were possible side effects (78.5%) and scepticism about its effectiveness to prevent COVID-19 (10.2%). Conclusion: There was significant vaccine hesitancy towards COVID-19 vaccines among Zambian pharmacy students despite their awareness about the vaccines. Health authorities must work collaboratively with the Universities and other institutions to mitigate vaccine hesitancy, especially with pharmacy students a key part of the future healthcare workforce overseeing disease prevention strategies. These findings can help guide future interventions to address vaccine hesitancy to reduce future transmission rates of this virus.

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Gender Differences in Knowledge, Attitude and Preparedness to Respond to COVID-19 among Adult Population in Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study

10.20944/preprints202011.0739.v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Mst. Sadia Sultana ◽

Abid Hasan Khan ◽

Md. Raisul Islam ◽

Sahadat Hossain ◽

M. Tasdik Hasan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Social Media ◽

Adult Population ◽

Negative Attitude ◽

Sampling Strategy ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Chi Square ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Preventative Measures

Effective pandemic management requires understanding the level of community knowledge, attitude of people and preparedness towards COVID-19. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and preparedness toward COVID-2019 among Bangladeshi general people. A cross sectional survey was conducted from 20th March 2020 to 20th April 2020 among 1007 Bangladeshi adult people. A convenience sampling strategy was utilized and the data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire. Chi-square test was used to identify the gender differences regarding knowledge, attitude and preparedness towards COVID-19. Respondents predominately used social media to inform themselves about COVID-19 (68.10%) and female used social media more than male (p<0.001). Female had more correct knowledge about staying home with sickness and/or symptoms to contain the COVID-19 transmission (p=.02). While male had more negative attitude about staying out during the pandemic than female (<0.001) and men were less likely to take preventative measures than female counterparts. A number of people were still believing the myths like “COVID-19 can transmit via mosquito” (9.14%) and male had more incorrect knowledge regarding this (p<0.001). Moreover, 17.81% of the respondents thought that COVID-19 can spread in warm weather. Some findings are directing us to a knowledge gap among general population in Bangladesh which calls for uncovering those aspects. Adequate and effective communication are necessary so that general people can stay alert with positive attitude and hygienic practices to fight against this ongoing crisis.

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